Rain Forest Partners

IIlegal logging in the forest of Cameroon is destroying the habitat of the Pygmies who live there.

The BBC's Fergal Keane was in the Cameroon Rain Forest with the Baka Pygmies all day on Thursday 31 January 2008 to find out about new GPS technology which is helping them fight back, and to find out more about life in the forest.

News 24 linked up via satellite with Vineyard Primary School in Richmond Upon Thames throughout the day, for an exchange of questions and experiences with the Ngola Baka children in Cameroon. Here is a summary of the day's links:

Welcome Dance

1st link up 9:50 am:

The Baka children performed a Dance of Welcome in the forest whilst children in the UK asked, what do caterpillars taste like?

Apparently they are a delicious delicacy and taste like king prawns!

A television first

2nd Link up 10.50:

Children from the Baka Pygmy community exchanged questions with children in the UK all day through a translator.

From London children asked, do you wear a school uniform? The Baka kids don't have uniforms, they only have second hand clothes, but they all said they would love to have uniforms.
 
This was the first time Baka children had ever seen a TV and spoken to children in the UK.

They learnt how to say 'Hello' in English, and the UK students said 'Hello' back in the Baka language - that got them a round of applause in the forest! 

Sing along

3rd link 11.50:

The children in the Ngola Baka school in the rain forest performed a beautiful song in what is called 'Paphonic' singing, a style unique to the Baka, also used for communicating with each other in the forest. 
 
Then the pupils in Richmond performed one of their favourite songs called 'Sunshine', accompanied by the piano.

Lunchtime

4th link 12.40:

It was lunch time and Fergal was treated to a forest feast. Nuts, nutritious Koko leaves and honey straight out of the bees nest up in the trees. It was the sweetest Fergal had ever tasted!

Kids in Richmond shared what they had for lunch: beef pie, roast vegetables and apple crumble from the canteen.

GPS technology

5th link 2.50 pm:

Fergal spoke about the GPS machine which is helping the Baka pygmies to map their trees and rivers on a computer which proves the land is theirs and giving them a voice for the first time.

In Dulwich college in London, we met a teenage boy who had lived in the rain forest until he was seven and knew how precious the forests were to the Pygmies.
 

Beauty rituals

6th link 3.50 pm:

Late afternoon is time for music and story telling in the Baka community. A Baka boy played a traditional instrument made from forest wood and string.

The Baka Pygmies and the children in the UK shared beauty tips. Martin the musician showed off his serrated teeth which are a symbol of beauty in their culture, whilst a pupil in the UK spoke about hair gel and perfume.

A Baka girl said she would quite like the men to wear a nice scent like they do in the West!

Religion of the heart

Last link at 4.50pm:

Fergal talks to a team of hunters in the Pygmy group and learns about the poisonous darts and sling shots they use. Hunting is a rite of passage for young men in the forest.

The Richmond pupils asked if the Baka have a specific religion? This is what the elder of the community answered:

"We don't have a specific religion like most of you. What we have is the religion of the heart. We believe that is where it all starts and what really matters. So if you want to pray, you dont have to go to a special place, you just say it in your heart."

Would you like to twin your school with a school in a rain forest country?

Join World Class - remember to put Rain Forest in the box before you tell us why you want to twin.

Read Fegal Keane's report on BBC News about the new technology and the Baka People.

Find out about a City school in Cameroon and their experiences with the Baka.

Take a look at the Rain Forest page on the DCSF Global Gateway.